Intelligent Crane Management Algorithm for Construction Operation

Heavy industrial construction project requires the installation of hundreds of large and heavy modules. Effective utilization of lifting equipment is critical to ensuring economical project start-up. Capturing and evaluating global crane relocation, movement and decommissioning as well as particular object lift study and digital visualization are also essential for budget saving and schedule improvement. This paper presents unique methodology that combines crane selection, optimum lift sequencing and project global and individual lift visualization in a single-sequenced algorithm. The state-of-the-art methodology incorporates all site constraints needed to ensure safe, economical crane lifts and proper reactions responsive to site condition changes. The algorithm is divided into volumes, stages, and phases which focus on different aspects of the crane management processes. The algorithm build-up structure is designed to employ specific volumes or even stage section independently which allows operator to run either the entire program or just specific portion. In this paper the authors also discuss volumes of site preparation stages of the algorithm and the mechanism for lift object path development. In the Visualization algorithm volume, presented in this paper is based on specific case studies and synopsis for such case is provided for further evaluation. A student dormitory at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is presented as a case study demonstrating efficient construction. 3D visualization-based motion planning is presented to develop motions of mobile crane operation based on various design changes. A modular-based heavy construction project in Northern Crane Services Inc. is used as a case study to validate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.